The invention relates generally to the field of dentistry, orthodontics and oral surgery, and more particularly to a dental tool. In a specific embodiment, the invention relates to a dental tool having a flared nozzle to facilitate retraction or manipulation of tissue during a dental procedure.
In many dental procedures, it is desirable to selectively supply air or water to a treatment area. A variety of dental tools have been developed to accomplish such a task. For example, a traditional dental tool is the air/water syringe which comprises a hand piece having a syringe tip which includes an air tube and a water tube which are joined together at the hand piece. Two operating buttons are provided on the hand piece to allow activation of the air or water. By depressing the air button, air flows out of the tip into the appropriate area of the patient's mouth to dry the treatment area. By depressing the water button, a flow of water is dispensed to clean away debris and congestion in the treatment area. When both buttons are simultaneously pressed, a spray of air and water is emitted to flush away debris which may then be vacuumed from the oral cavity. Such a dental tool is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,083, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
Various other dental tools have been proposed to provide various improvements to the traditional design. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,975,054; 4,984,984; and 5,242,300, the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference, describe nozzle assemblies which include separate air and water tubes to facilitate the delivery of two separate fluids to the oral cavity.
When performing a procedure within the oral cavity, it is often desirable to move the tongue, cheeks or lips in order to provide better access to the treatment area and direct the spray to a desired location within the oral cavity. The distal ends of existing air/water syringes are generally not well suited for such a task. For instance, when attempting to retract or manipulate the cheek, tongue or lips with the generally straight or somewhat pointed distal end of the nozzle, the tissue can easily become damaged or bruised. Use of a separate retraction instrument can also be undesirable as it requires the placement of an additional instrument into the oral cavity.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a dental tool having the ability to provide a supply of fluids, such as air or water, while also providing manipulation capabilities. Such a tool should be easy and convenient to use while also providing a relative degree of safety and comfort to the patient. In this way, the tissue in the oral cavity will generally be protected from bruises or other damage. It would further be desirable if such features could be accomplished by modifying existing dental air and water syringes in order to facilitate their introduction and acceptance into the dental market.